Affinity
by Atarashii Tanjou
Summary: It is strange to think that many of our world do not recognize one another as we do each other. We, criticized as monsters or gods, loved and feared, but never accepted, have learned to feel others of our ilk instantly. Even monsters are lonely - perhaps it is this reason that we have been able to seek out others. I wonder now, what really makes us monsters? Rated M.
1. Chapter 1

It is strange to think that many of our world do not recognize one another as we do each other. We, criticized as monsters or gods, loved and feared, but never accepted, have learned to feel others of our ilk instantaneously. Even monsters are lonely - perhaps it is this reason that we have been able to seek out others of our kind.

I knew that I was different, special, ever since I was a young child. I sometimes wish I had never been created as I am, never been given the burden sealed within me, the beast I have grown to love. We are ninja. We are weapons, and tools. We are feared and shunned, adored and hated, given the weight of a nation to bear without complaint. We are jinchuuriki. And I watched my family die to keep me alive, even as I fought to save them.

I was free, once. As a child, my clan did not belong to a village, leaving us free to travel and pursue our purpose - to heal all that we could of the war-torn land. Some offered payment, others placement, and still others attempted to force assimilation to one of the Hidden villages, but we persevered. It was during the last attempt that I was given a Tailed Beast, a "gift" from one of our patients as she lay dying on our matts.

"Child, come here." She was old, so frail, and had been dragged from her home, abandoned by her village. Mother had left me to watch her and obey her last wishes as she searched for my father on the field. At three, I understood what was requested, and wished only to please my mother. So I knelt next to the dying woman, holding one of her hands. "Child, I wish to give you something. It has been my burden to bear, but I sense that it will serve you well in your life. Will you aid me, young one, in passing from this life with no regrets?" She held out her last hand, still dyed red with the blood she had shed in the struggle. With little hesitation, I nodded and took her bloodied hand in mine. She closed her eyes.

"A part of me despairs at giving you this gift, child. It is not yours, nor mine, to bear, but we must pass it on anyway. Should one of our kind die, the beast will awaken in due time, to further destroy our world." A tear slipped down her face even as a strange blue glow connected our hands, the strange flames racing up my arms. An odd weight pressed against my stomach, and I tried to tug my hands out from hers.

"I'm sorry, child. I truly am. I had hoped to disappear before they found me again, but it was not to be. If you ever wish for one to blame, you may curse Yugito Nii, for I will take that weight for you." As our dying charge concentrated on our bond, I saw my vision crack. She looked split - one piece was old, the other young. But both versions, old and new, had sadness etched into their faces.

The pressure built to the point of pain, a stone inside my stomach, and blue flames crackling around both of us, mine growing stronger as hers flickered out. As the balance between us finally tipped, a terrible sound ripped through the air. It was a scream - a thin, high sound of abject despair and pain. Had I been screaming, and not known? I forced my eyes open through the agony within my body, and saw Yugito's face contorted in misery. Her mouth was open, and short bursts of sound forced their way past her bloodied lips. Teeth marks were etched in the flesh, and it clicked together. I was not the only one in pain.

Reaching out as best I could, I leaned forward, pressing my weight against her shoulder, the only one untouched by blood. Yugito trembled once, twice, before shaking with quiet sobs. Her fire flickered and went out, and mine danced for a moment before extinguishing. "It is over, child… I shall soon pass on to the next life. I pray for peaceful times when I open my eyes again." Her eyes drooped shut, then snapped back open. "Child… what is your name? I will ask the gods to watch over you on my way back."

I blinked, exhaustion creeping into my vision like black smoke. "Sakura… my name is Sakura."


	2. Chapter 2

I wake to movement. My mother is holding me tightly, sobbing into my hair, rocking me back and forth. I lift a hand, weakly, and touch her arm. Her face, flying up to meet my gaze, is pure shock. She calls my father, and he asks me what happened. Looking about, the room is in shambles. There is a restless stir in my chest, abrasive scratching and anger that is not mine. One of my hands, covered in blood, presses against my torso, and my father's eyes track the movement. The heaviness in my chest and stomach increases.

My mother screams suddenly, and my back hits the hard floor. Pain swells through me, and I curl in on myself, the pressure unrelenting. Wearily, I blink, and the blurriness in my vision clears. Fire is dancing through the air and surrounding my body. It is not hot, nor is it cold. It is comfortable, and the color is of a cloudless sky. My father shields my mother in his arms, staring at me, then to our dead patient.

"You are a jinchuuriki."

The words, spoken so fearfully, rip through my haze, and the fire dispels itself. I tremble and try to crawl to my father's feet. My body is hurt, and tears run down my face. My mother turns from my father to cradle me against her chest, rising to her feet and avoiding the body of Yugito Nii.

"Where shall we go? We cannot remain here for long." Her words are full of worry, and I squeeze her lightly. I do not wish to worry my mother. My father's voice is firm inside the ruined cottage.

"We will return to the clan. The Elders will know what must be done." My mother does not answer, but holds me tighter until my father speaks once more, his voice gentle. "I will not allow harm to befall Sakura. Now, we must move." The wind hits my face, and I whimper.

The air is full of the coppery scent of blood, and it is cold. Rain begins to fall, soaking us quickly, and I shiver against my mother's warmth. We stop, suddenly, and I open my eyes from sleep. There are men around us, and the cottage is aglow with orange light. Smoke tickles my nose, and I realize - they have set the roof ablaze.

"Where is the beast?" A hard tone pierces the air, and I clutch my mother's soaked kimono tighter. My father's answering voice is muffled as my mother runs her fingers through my hair comfortingly. "Find the vessel, and bring her back to the village." Several of the men surrounding us break off and disappear, reappearing moments later.

"Yugito Nii is dead." The voice is soft, from behind my shoulder. My mother stiffens as the leader who first stopped us barks out in fury.

"With due respect, sir, the new jinchuuriki is the girl." My father steps in front of my mother and I, blocking our view to the leader, although this does nothing for the men behind us. Mother's arms tighten around me, pressing me more against her chest, as if she can hide me within herself. The pressure within my stomach is building again, and I curl tighter.

Without warning, I am ripped from my mother's arms. The man who first spotted the differences in my chakra holds me as I squirm. My father yells, loudly, and my eyes widen. The men surrounding us rush inwards as my father is pinned to the ground, still struggling to get to me. My mother screams, her arms and legs flying through the air, immobilizing the ninja around us in a whirl of deadly chakra. A burst of color draws my eyes. Red petals sprout from my mother's shoulder, even as she keens.

My face is spattered with something warm and wet. Sliding my tongue across my lips, I taste the horribly familiar combination of salt and iron, even as my mother collapses to her knees, her pretty white kimono darkening. It is blood. These people, these ninja, they are killing my parents before my eyes.

Rage from inside my spirit envelopes me, blue flames and hot, violent chakra exploding around me. The man holding me is thrown backwards and I tumble to the ground. The world is shifting in and out of focus, and a voice in my mind whispers of revenge, of saving them. _All you must do, Sakura, is give me control. Then you may save them._ I hesitate a brief moment. How could I trust this voice, so new and unfamiliar? A sudden eruption of pain from my left leg dispels all doubt. _Let me out, so I can protect us both!_ I close my eyes and let go.

From all around me, there are screams. My body is covered in the red chakra, hard protrusions developing on my limbs. "Bring it down! Kill it if you must! The jinchuuriki is out of control!" Among the screams, though, I hear the sluggish breaths of my parents, both slipping closer to the edge of life and death. Opening my mouth wide, I scream.

Suspended within my own mind, I feel my body twist and turn, feel the reverberations in the earth from my passage. I feel the moist warmth spread across my face and hands, even as I cringe away from it. I do not desire this. I do not wish for anyone to be hurt. My feelings swell until the other presence is subdued. _I will stop for now. I have given you an opportunity to save them, nothing more, nothing less._ The feminine voice disappears within my spirit once more.

My eyes open again. All around me is evidence of the battle that must have just taken place. There are deep gouges in the earth, and several trees have been split, chunks missing and scattered here and there. I breathe in and gag - the air is heavy with the scent of blood. My face is covered in it, as are my hands. My fingers tremble as I examine them. The fluid is still warm, and there is a huge amount of it covering the ground, staining my dress. My hair is matted and limp, and clumps of blood congeal in it, cooling in the evening wind. Through my horror, I hear the wheezing of my mother, growing weaker by the minute.

I push myself to my feet, intent on running to their side and using my rudimentary healing. Instead, I collapse back to the ground, a wail ripping from my throat. Embedded deep in my left leg is a shuriken . The black metal gleams in the moonlight, my blood dripping from the blades. Gripping it tightly, even as the points dig into my palm, I pull it from my flesh. It slides free with a soft, wet sound, and tears slide down my face, scalding against the cold blood, cleaning trails down my cheeks. Raising my body with my trembling arms, I crawl forward, slowly, painfully.

I reach my father first. His breath is much slower, and he is covered with welts from the ninja that attempted to subdue him. My father is strong; I have never seen him like this, and the fear that pierces my heart draws my chakra out from me faster than I have ever been able to heal before. There is internal bleeding. I see this and focus my chakra to that area. I am unable to repair all the damage, and I cry out in frustration. My mother lies curled on her side next to my father. Her eyes open slightly, their gaze unfocused.

"Sakura?" She looks at me, her face pale. Awareness flashes across her features, and she gasps. "What happened to you? Are you hurt?!" She attempts to sit up, only to fall back, clutching her shoulder. Blood seeps sluggishly through her fingers, and her breathing is labored as she props her elbow against the ground. My father's breath gurgles in his throat - the internal damage I was unable to fix is now killing him. I cry harder, tears blurring the horrific scene before me.

My mother gasps as my father's breathing stops, his heart beating one last time. Tears wet her cheeks, and she collapses onto his still chest, her shoulders heaving with sobs. His shirt, torn and dirty, is held firmly between her fingers, even as a red handprint blooms on the fabric. I grip his cold hand in one of mine, and with the other I reach for my mother's.

No sooner have I touched her than she tears her hand away from mine. There is wild fear and despair in her heavy gaze, and she stares blankly at me until I begin to cry anew, and horror fills her face. "Sakura…" Her hands shake violently, and her face is losing color quickly. Sweat beads on her pale skin, and her breathing quickens. She is going into shock. I know the signs, and so does she. I used almost all of my chakra trying, and failing, to save my father, and her chakra is depleted from immobilizing our attackers.

I throw my arms around her neck, pressing my tiny hands against her wound. She flinches, and I pour the last of my chakra into her, the pitiful flow barely knitting together her skin. The world appears darker now, and I slump backwards. My mother's hand, already so cold, touches my face, and she uses her once-beautiful kimono to clean the blood from my face. "Sakura, you did your best." Her voice is weak, and that frightens me. I am unable to move, my limbs too heavy and sluggish to obey me. "You, ninja. Come out. I can sense you."

From the forest, there comes the man who first caught me. My mother snorts. "Dispel that jutsu. I know that you are not one of them." She nods towards the men lying dead upon the ground. "Who are you, and where do you hail from?"

The man seems to flicker and blur for a moment before appearing again, different this time. His forehead protector bears a new mark, and his clothes are vastly different. A small katana is strapped to his back, a leather harness crossing his chest and shoulders. Black hair, short and messy, deviates from a pale face. His eyes capture my attention. They are black, yet when I blink, they glow red, a lazy spiral beginning in their depths.

My mother raises a tremulous hand. "There is no need for a genjutsu. It seems introductions are also unnecessary." A small, hard smile bends her lips. "Uchiha Shisui, the Body Flicker, of Konohagakure." She gestures to herself. "I am Rie of the Clan." Her fingers tangle through my hair briefly. "This is my daughter, Sakura. We were to return to the Clan when we were attacked." Her tone sharpens. "But you already know of that, just as you know that my daughter is now a jinchuuriki, as part of an unplanned transference from one village's vessel to a mere child, unclaimed by any village." She draws a shallow breath, her hand closing briefly around my matted hair.

"I am dying." It is said so bluntly that I wince, a quiet sob rocking my body as the voice inside me quiets abruptly. "Once I am gone, the Clan will wish to judge Sakura's life. Many of them do not wish to have any contact with the world of ninjas, even with jinchuuriki of the Tailed Beasts. Those of the Clan would choose to exile or execute my daughter, because of a choice that she did not make." Moisture hits my cheek from above. My mother's bloody hand clenches into a fist as she continues to play with my hair.

"What would you have me do, Rie-san?" The ninja before us speaks for the first time since he held my body in his hands. His eyes are black again, and emotion is swimming through them. He kneels before the body of my father, holding the steady gaze of my mother even as the life drips slowly out of her wound.

"I would have you take Sakura to Konoha. Train her. Protect her." My mother's breath rattles in her throat, her chest heaving against my ear in her struggle. "If she is to be shunned by the Clan, let her not be a part of it. Raise her in your village." She leans forward, squeezing me tightly against her as she shudders. "I beg of you. Do not let my daughter be put to death for an event she did not have any control over."

The Uchiha before us is quiet for a moment. I bury my face in my mother's chest even as the smell of blood grows stronger. "I will do as you ask, Rie-san. Sakura will live on. I will make sure she remains safe." My mother pries my hands free of her kimono, one hand falling to my injured leg. I feel brief warmth as the flesh knits together, and a lingering mark in my spirit. My eyes widen slightly and I begin to struggle, even as the man before us takes me from my mother's arms.

"No, mother! No!" Tears blur my blackening vision, and the Uchiha bows briefly before he begins to walk away. My mother stretches a hand in my direction, holding the jutsu for as long as she can as the life drains from her. I feel her Blessing take strength in my spirit, even as the vitality leaves her body. " _Mother!_ " The Blessing complete, she slumps over the body of my father, a small smile on her face, beautiful even in death. My vision tunnels, and the beast inside my body mourns as I fall into unconsciousness.

 ** _A/N - Hello again! I must say, this chapter was exceptionally hard to write, especially when I'm emotionally invested in the characters. I hope I haven't scared anyone off here. I tend to think that characters are best developed by tragedies and difficulties. If a character has everything delivered straight to them on a silver platter and no difficult times to test themselves against, they're not going to be as strong or likable a character as they could have been. So, I'm putting Sakura through horrifying trials. She'll come out better for it in the end, I promise. Please tell me what you thought of this chapter - the reviews not only make my happy, but they give me a reason to write more. If you want the next chapter quicker, give me reviews! Feed me! :D I'll see you guys next time! - AT_**


	3. Chapter 3

The girl has long since exhausted herself, unconscious in a restless slumber against his shoulder. Jumping nimbly through the boughs of trees, Uchiha Shisui, the Body Flicker, reflects upon the circumstances leading to his discovery of the new jinchuuriki of the Two-Tailed Beast. Glancing down at the tangled mass of rose-colored hair bouncing against his collarbone, he marvels at the impossibilities of so small a child surviving the transfer of Matatabi, done hastily and outside of a village's jurisdiction, without support of any kind. Yugito must have truly been desperate, he muses, quickening his pace.

The Hokage had been clear about the purpose of his mission - to infiltrate the village and position himself as the right-hand man of the brash leader of that contingency, responsible for hunting down Yugito Nii and returning the escaped jinchuuriki to Kumo. Shisui knew, he thinks, three months into what was meant to be a short-term mission that the jinchuuriki for Matatabi had not wanted to be found. When her trail disappeared abruptly, the leader of their group had all but destroyed the landscape in his rage, until the scent of blood drew them to a battleground, a small cabin in the distance with blood tracked through the threshold. With a minute shudder, he thinks of the distorted body of the former jinchuuriki, bloodied from her apparent ambush, her face frozen in pain and despair.

Now, at the end of his mission, he finds himself amused despite the horrors he has left behind. His mission, infiltration and the gathering of important information, as well as political pieces for Konohagakure's advantage, was meant to end with the capture and subsequent arrival of Yugito Nii to his Hidden Village. The move had been intended to ensure Konoha's safety as tensions grew between the various Hidden Villages. The change of ownership of the Tailed Beast, not only for Kumo and Konoha, but for Yugito and Sakura, marked one of few times that Shisui had to end a mission on uncertain terms of success. The Hokage had been expecting a fully-trained ninja with excellent control over her Beast, not a tiny child without any training to speak of, nor any family to support her.

Shifting his charge in his arms, the Uchiha leaps forward once more, cradling the child closer as the wind buffets his form, a storm bearing down upon them. _May she remain asleep,_ he prays, even as rain soaks him swiftly. _She will need her strength very soon, and I must be ready to protect her. I can only hope that Rie understands._

 _ **A/N - Hello, my loves! I'm so happy to have received thoughtful reviews to this story so far; each one is surprising, because I never expect my stories to be so well-liked. That said, I am posting this short scene as an apology for my absence. My life is a bit hectic right now - my grandmother may be dying, my family is in three different places at once, and I am having to make some quick decisions that directly impact my future. However, I'm not writing this to ask for pity; you all deserve an explanation for my absence, and, being that today is Thanksgiving, I want to tell you that I am thankful each and every one of you, my lovely readers. I can't begin to describe how wonderful it feels, knowing that what I write is being appreciated. Each review, follow, or favorite I see makes my day instantly better, and I want to give something back to all of you. So, even though it's not as long as I feel you deserve from me, I give you the third chapter of Affinity. The story will be progressing differently than the canon of the Naruto universe - things will be picking up soon, though.**_

 _ **Thank you so much for remaining patient with me... I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving, and I will see you next chapter! XOXOXO - AT**_


	4. Chapter 4

_Sakura. Sakura, we must speak before you awaken to the world of men._ My spirit stirs sleepily, chakra exhaustion still prevalent and suppressing my physical consciousness. Warmth suffuses the space between my broken heart and my will. Slowly, I realize that it is the demon I have been given, wrapped around the fractured pieces of my innocence.

I am exhausted, and, as such, I cannot move. All that my soul can manage is a weak shift of my astral body. She feels me, however, and curls closer, supporting my fragility. _Sakura._ Relief bleeds into her tone, and I look at her face, large and hovering so close to mine.

" _Who are you?"_ The question bubbles out from my very being, vulnerable and saddened. The gentle beast sighs against my body, her great head descending as a rough tongue rasps against my face and hair, cleaning the filth of guilt from me. A slow vibration works through my spirit, and finally, the great Beast answers me.

 _I am Matatabi. I am the second of the Tailed Beasts, the Nibi. And I am housed within your spirit; thus, you have become my jinchuuriki._ She wraps her warmth around me once more, tightening and holding me together. _As such, I am bound to you. I am sorry for the actions of men, Sakura. If not for their interference, this would have never been forced upon you, and I would still be free._ Her voice dwindles away wistfully, and a small amount of strength enters my spirit. My astral body sits up painfully.

" _What if I were to release you?"_ The great cat snaps her head back towards me, mismatched eyes of green and gold meeting and holding my own. " _I do not wish to imprison you, Matatabi. You seem as though you would not wish to harm anyone. Why have you been sealed within us?"_ Wind buffets my face, blowing my hair back as the fiery cat sighs again.

 _I would be honored, were it possible. The only way for me to be released is through your death, Sakura._ I jerk slightly, unprepared for this horrible truth. Matatabi's eyes gleam sympathetically, with a sorrow that only two prisoners can share, for we are as trapped as a criminal surrounded by bars. We will be together until my death, I realize distantly, as tears drip slowly down my face. _Although there are murmurs of the possibility of extraction, not simply transference, you, my host, would be killed. My chakra is woven with yours, something that aids you in keeping me sealed from the world of men, and strengthens you beyond what you previously would have been able to attain. However,_ _should you perish before I am trapped within another, we will both cease to exist._ I am frozen, desiring more than anything else to not know of this hideous fate awaiting the both of us.

Matatabi lowers her head to rub her face against my shoulders, her tongue cleaning the salty tears from my face again. _It is a fate we must share, Sakura. As such, we must accept it, and live on. I will not lie to you, child; I wish to be free, but I cannot so long as men hate and fear my kind. For when we are all one, we will bring about the end of this world. That is why innocents such as you must be formed into weapons, and treated as monsters._ Her voice is sad. _Villages will fight over you, men will fear you, and there will be few to support you. But it is not all so bad._

She pauses, her fire flickering gently and coaxing away my sadness as her tails wave gently. _Yugito Nii was more than my holder. She was my friend. She understood more of me and my existence than the men that used her for their safety._ Matatabi's lips shift in a smile, filled with sharp teeth. _To be a jinchuuriki is to court death, expected to escape each time unharmed. Eventually, the thrill fades to fear, and the courtship ends. That is what Yugito was attempting - to escape her Village's courtship with death, and free me from the oppression of man._

I finally speak, breaking my silence. " _Are not all ninja loyal only to their village?"_ I am confused as she shakes her head, looking at me with a sad sort of fondness that I recognize from the eyes of Shisui, gazing upon my mother.

 _No, Sakura. Ninja are loyal to power, and to love. Yugito was loyal to Kumo for a time, until she realized that she was nothing more than a pawn on their chessboard. Expendable, should she acquire a mortal blow. I could always be transferred to another vessel, and the game would begin again. So, she sought to escape, to leave behind all she had once been a part of. Her village did not look kindly upon her shift in loyalties, and ordered her brought back alive._ Matatabi growled softly. _They intended to transfer me to another ninja with more solid loyalties, and destroy my friend in the process. We were almost free, Sakura. We were almost free, until she was struck down in a pointless skirmish, and your family found her, dying in the mud. From there, you know our story._

I am stunned, and awareness is returning swiftly to me. Matatabi wraps her chakra, a projection of her physical form, closer around me, anchoring me inside my spirit, away from the harshness of the world. " _Is there nothing I can do? Is there no one I can trust, no one I can love?"_ Tears gather in my eyes again, my heart aching from pain that is too fresh.

 _You have me, Sakura. You have me, and you have the Uchiha, Shisui. He is an honorable man, and will protect you as only kindred may. And there is another of my kind where we are to finish our journey. There is more to us than a monster. There is a link between all of the Tailed Beasts and our jinchuuriki. You will find him, Sakura. And he will be better for it._ The gentle cat begins to unwind herself from my spirit, bringing me closer to the real world, full of pain as it is.

" _Wait! Please don't send me back yet. I am not ready."_ I beg of her, and she rumbles under my chest, her fiery fur tickling my cheek, drying my tears.

 _No, you are not ready. But you must return. Do not worry, Sakura. From this pain, this difficulty, you and I will only become stronger. And I will remain with you, always. Now, it is time to wake up._ The light and cold become stronger and stronger, until I close my eyes and awaken to face my fate.

 ** _A/N - Hello again! I was so happy to get several well thought-out reviews yesterday - thank you to AlarictheCat and jacpin2002, as well as Sakura-Fairy-Tail! You guys are awesome, and I love you. Also, thank you to the Guest who reviewed the last chapter - as you're not logged in or part of FF, I can't respond directly to you, but I appreciate your kind words regardless. :) After reading the encouraging words you all shared with me, I felt it was best to reward you with another chapter. This is my thank-you to all of you!_**

 ** _I thought the concept of jinchuuriki and their Tailed Beasts should be both beautiful and sorrowful - they're stuck together, for better or worse, until death or transference, and they can either antagonize one another, or understand one another. For the longest time in canon, Kurama wanted to escape from Naruto, and was hateful/bitter towards humans, until such time as they understood one another and came out stronger for it. I want Sakura, in this fic, to be a strong character who struggles and overcomes, but isn't perfect. There isn't much to love in a perfect character - there isn't as much beauty without little imperfections. That's my view of her character, and I'll be touching on it a lot._**

 ** _Also, Shisui will play an integral part in this twist on the Naruto universe, and not just for the reasons you may expect. I don't want to give too much away just yet, but I'd love to hear your theories about his involvement in Sakura's life._**

 ** _Again, thank you so much for staying with me in this story, and I hope you enjoy this chapter. If you do, please tell me what you think! I look forward to hearing from you. See you next chapter! - AT_**


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